Words of a Wilted Rose
by KiMoNo-ChIcK
Summary: Momiji's been having a hard time getting over his mother, but it makes it even harder when her new husband dies and she goes to Momiji's father for comfort. As he reunites with his mother and his little sister, can he manage to love them again?
1. Chapter 1

It was so...dark. Momiji whimpered, pulling his knees close to his chest and closing his eyes. It made no difference; he still saw the blackness that he had seen even with his eyes open.

He pressed his back against the wooden wall, and felt the tears grazing down his cheeks. He was so scared. His mother had forgotten him; he felt a great hole in his heart where his mother should have been.

Momiji had just awoken when his father slid open the screen door to his room.

"Hatori-san is here to see you, Momiji-chan." Momiji sat up and rubbed his eyes. His older relative, the silent and respectable Hatori Soma, looked down at him with a grim stare.  
"Get dressed, Momiji. We are going to see Akito-sama." Hatori said, turning abruptly and exiting from hence he came.

Momiji looked at his father questioningly, who did the same as Hatori and left the room.

Momiji stared at the large house that was the Soma estate. He could see his breath as he sighed heavily, holding Hatori's hand. He had only been here yesterday, when he had secretly seen Hatori erase his mother's memory.

The trees shook with the wind, and Momiji shivered.

"Hatori-san?" Hatori looked down at him with a wry smile.

"What is it, Momiji-chan?" Momiji swallowed his words. He would not ask Hatori why he erased his mother's memory. It was not his fault, after all. All Momiji wanted to know was...why his mother didn't love him.

After they had gotten inside the house, Momiji was greeted by Kagura, whose usually cheerful smile had disappeared from her face. She looked down at her slippers even as she shuffled up to Momiji and Hatori.  
"Akito-sama...would like to see you in the main room, Momiji-kun." Momiji nodded. Hatori kneeled down next to him.

"It will be alright, Momiji," he whispered, "Akito-sama will be gentle."  
Momiji reluctantly let go of Hatori's hand and walked through the maze of halls to the small room full of his worst memories. He slid open the screen and stepped in.

This is where Momiji sat, in the darkness, sobbing. He had waited in the room for so long, and was convinced that he would not be let out. He wiped his tears away, and placed his hands on the floor. The door opened, revealing a glimpse of light around a shadowy figure. The door slid shut, and Momiji could hear the crack of a whip.

"Momiji, you have been a bad boy," The figure told, Momiji recognizing it as the feared head of the family: Akito. Momiji once again began whimpering, and absentmindedly clawed at the walls for help. Akito came closer and closer, his footsteps the only sound aside from Momiji's heartbeat.

The footsteps stopped, and the crack of the whip grew louder.  
"You have been a bad boy, and your mother does not want you anymore."

"Please, Akito-samai! I have been a good boy! I swear that I have!" Momiji screamed, placing his hand in front of his face.  
"Do you know what happens to bad boys who do not have a mother?" Akito asked.

"No! Please!" Momiji continued to cry, until the crack of the whip stopped sounding.  
Momiji removed his hand from in front of his face, thinking that he was not going to be hurt. He sighed...and felt the whip scratch his ankles and wrists.

"No! Akito-sama, please!" Momiji cried, as his entire body ached with pain.  
"You are nothing! No one wants you!" Akito laughed, and raised the whip once again.

Momiji awoke, sweating. That was the sixth time this week that he had had that dream; the memories of when he was whipped after his mother had forgotten him. He got out of bed and slid open the screen.

He could hear himself gasping for breath, and felt the  
beads of sweat on his forehead. He walked down the hall to the dining room, where his father was already having a morning bowl of miso soup.

"Ohio, Momiji-chan! How did you sleep?" His father asked, smiling. Momiji rubbed the sleep from his eyes and smiled in reply.

"I slept fine. Thank you for asking. May I have a bowl of soup, otosan?" Momiji replied, gesturing to his father's.

"Of course." Momiji's father filled his bowl kindly. Momiji simply stared into his reflection of the soup.

"Is something wrong, Momiji-chan? Did you...have your dream again?" Momiji merely raised the bowl to his lips and took a silent sip.

"Momiji-chan? Momiji-chan!" Momiji placed the bowl back on the table and smiled at his father.

"No, otosan! I just...did not sleep well."  
Momiji hated lying to his father, but he knew that the same thought of unrequited love that he missed also tormented his father. In the back of his mind, however, his thoughts cried out for a reason why his mother left him, and how it was his fault.


	2. Chapter 2

Momiji continued to eat his breakfast silently, barely enjoying the taste but instead guzzling it down as fast as was possible so that his father wouldn't realize that he was lying.

Momiji's father shook his head in disgust and said, "Momiji-chan! Where are your manners?"

Momiji continued his unscrupulous eating habits, and luckily the phone on the wall rang in time to interrupt him.

Momiji's father sighed and walked over to pick up the receiver. "Hello? Yes, this is Kaoru Soma... What?"

Momiji's rabbit ears appeared as he eavesdropped his father's phone conversation. "Are you sure? Oh my god...Yes, yes, of course I'll pay my respects...Tomorrow at noon? I'll make sure that Momiji-chan and I are there. Yes. Arigato, Shinumi-san."

He hung up the phone carefully and hung his head. "Momiji-chan...there's been an accident."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Momiji and Kaoru made their way to a cemetery nearby for the funeral of Kaoru's worker Ayuto. Both of them were dressed in ebony suits, but Momiji had snuck away a colorful hat to wear because he didn't like being dressed in such a melancholy color.

As he and Kaoru walked over to the large group of people gathered near the grave, he pulled it from his left pocket. "Momiji-chan, please...this is a funeral. Put your hat away." Momiji sighed and did as his father said.

There was a man dressed in ceremonial robes, who lit incense and placed the sticks next to a bouqet of lilies on the grave, then read a haiku describing the mysterious place in which the dead are received. Momiji yawned and began twiddling his thumbs as the man continued to talk about loss and several people spoke about their relationships with Ayuto.

Momiji looked around to see everyone's faces. There were many elderly women, who were sobbing hysterically into handkerchiefs as the men merely bowed their heads in respect. "Michiko-san, would you like to say something?" All heads turned to the women at the front of the grave, who was weeping sullenly beneath a veiled hat. Momiji looked closer, recognizing the blonde locks that were his own. He was staring at his mother.

Michiko shook her head silently, and the man in robes said a final blessing on the grave. Afterward, many gather around Michiko to apologize for her loss. Momiji looked up at his father, who pulled at his hand and joined the group. "Michiko-san?"

Michiko lifted her veil and smiled meekly. "Kaoru-san. I'm so glad that you could come." Momiji looked at the ground, not wanting to lock eyes with his mother because of the pain in his heart. Michiko dried her eyes with her handkerchief and then proceeded to put it into her clutch purse. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Kaoru-san, I'm just...still in shock."

"Yes, I can understand." "Momo-chan and I have no place to stay, now that Ayuto-san is gone. His mother has moved into his home, and refuses to let us back in. She never truly approved of me; I guess this is her way of showing it." Momiji raised his eyes to look at his father, who had a soft expression on his face.

"We have an extra room, Michiko-san. You are always allowed to stay with Momiji-chan and I, it would be our pleasure to help you in this time of grief." Momiji was taken aback by his father's words, and his gaze rapidly returned to the ground at his feet.

Michiko smiled. "Yes, Kaoru-san, but I don't intend to impose on you and Momiji-kun like that. Momo-chan and I will find somewhere to stay." She turned and slowly walked away from Kaoru and Momiji.

Momiji could see the hurt look on his father's face. He turned around and whispered, "Come, Momiji-chan. Let's go back home and have something to eat."


	4. Chapter 4

Momiji and Kaoru sat at the small table, having more miso soup considering there was plenty left over from yesterday's morning. It was silent, except for the occasional slurping from Momiji or his father.

Momiji finished his bowl and sat quietly, locking eyes with his father from time to time. "...Why did you invite her to stay with us?" Kaoru stopped eating and also placed his bowl on the table.

"Momiji-chan, she needs a place to stay-" "But she doesn't know who we are anymore!" Momiji looked at the wood of the table to avoid looking at his father.

"Momiji-chan." "She decided to forget us so why shouldn't we forget her?" Momiji felt tears coming, and brushed his eyes with the back of his hands to stop them from flowing.

"It was not my choice to have your mother forget us. But she needs us now, we need to help her because she has no one else." Kaoru reached over to Momiji and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "You need to realize that."

Momiji began to cry. "But I don't want to see her again. It hurts too much." He felt the tears staining his shirt after rolling down his cheeks.

Kaoru came next to Momiji and embraced him. "I know. It...it hurts me too."


	5. Chapter 5

"...Du siehst wie mutti aus." Momiji awoke in bed to a young blonde girl poking a finger at his forehead and only inches away from his face. "Du siehst wie mutti aus (you look like mother)." Momiji recognized the girl as Momo, his younger sister that had been brought up by his mother.

"Momo-chan!" A voice called from down the hall. The footsteps of high-heeled shoes came clacking to the doorway of Momiji's room. "Momo-chan!" Momiji looked up. It was his mother in the door, looking down at Momo concernedly. Momo pointed at Momiji and repeated, "Wie mutti." Michiko rolled her eyes and kneeled down beside Momo. "Liebchen, das ist nicht dein Zimmer (Love, this is not your room)," she whispered.

Michiko looked at Momiji and stood up, holding Momo's hand. "I'm terribly sorry, Momiji-chan. Momo is learning German and Japanese at the same time, and sometimes it's hard for her to confuse the two." "Ja, alles ist in Ordnung (Yes, it's okay)," Momiji replied, smiling. Michiko looked surprised and asked, "Oh, you speak German, Momiji-kun?" Momiji didn't reply for some time, remembering that it was his mother who was his German half and had taught him his first German vocabulary at the age of two. "Um, yes, I learn it in school!" Michiko smiled, "Well, that's very nice! I had no idea they were offering such broad language classes at secondary schools nowadays."

Momiji heard his mother and father talking in the hallway about the guest room. "I'm truly sorry to do this, but we have no other place to stay." Momiji recognized Michiko's voice and held his pillow tight to his chest. "No, please, it is our pleasure to be hosting you and Momo-chan." "Arigatou. Momo-chan, say thank you." "Danke." There was the sound of laughter, most likely that of Kaoru, and then Michiko's voice again. "I'm sorry...lately she only wants to speak German, I can't get her out of the habit. When she's not spouting German words, she's completely silent." "It's alright. Let me show you to your room."

Momiji sat in his room for much of the day, listening to his mother unpacking and constantly telling Momo not to put things in her mouth. He laughed at the joyful noises she made. It was one comment, though, that made Momiji stop. Apparently Momo had placed a cover over her head and temporarily blinded herself, and Michiko giggled. "You are so wonderful. Ich liebe dich (I love you)." Momiji felt a pain in his chest. "Ich liebe dich auch (I love you too)," he whispered, and placed his head upon his knees, trying not to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that night, Michiko made dinner to show her appreciation for Kaoru and Momiji's letting her stay. She made leek soup, and everyone was overjoyed except for Momo, who didn't seem to like leeks. She simply sat at the table, using her finger to stir around the watery food. "Momo-chan! Tu das nicht! (Don't do that!)" Michiko stared down angrily at Momo, who looked up sheepishly and replied, "Es tut mir lied (I'm sorry)." Kaoru looked at Momiji and smiled. "She's very smart, at her age," Kaoru told Michiko. Michiko laughed, "Yes, well, as soon as she was eighteen months I began teaching her both Japanese and German. I was born in Germany, and so I wanted Momo to learn the language also." Kaoru pretended to be surprised and asked, "Then how did you arrive in Japan?" Momiji knew that his father had actually heard the story many times, but obviously this was unbeknownst to Michiko and so he let her continue.

"Oh, I studied abroad in Japan when I was in my early years of college. It was here that I met Ayuto-san, in fact!" Momiji looked at his father, whose relentless smile sat on his face. In reality, Michiko had met Kaoru in Japan, and three years later they were married.

Michiko's face sank as she mentioned her late husband's name. Momiji saw it and jumped at the opportunity asking, "So, who would like some dessert? I think there are some bean cakes in the refrigerator." "Yes," Kaoru agreed, "it would be nice to have some bean cake. Would you care to join us?" Michiko nodded, and Momo licked her lips in anticipation.

Momiji, Michiko, Kaoru and Momo sat beneath the stars, laughing and sharing stories as they ate bean cake. Momiji sat next to Momo, helping to feed her only to have the cake mostly spill down the front of her jacket. "Momo-chan," he said in frustration. She nodded up at him. "Ja?" Momiji took a napkin from the nearby table and wiped the bean cake off of her. She looked down at the stains and said, "Is Momo messy?" Momiji was surprised that she was at last talking in Japanese, but didn't want to say anything to silence her. "Yes," he replied smiling, "Momo is messy."

That night, Momiji could not fall asleep. He lay awake thinking of Momo and his mother, and their loving relationship that he could never experience. He turned over anxiously, and heard a knock on his door. Momiji sat up, and watched the door creak open to reveal Momo in the dark. "Momo-chan? Was ist los (What is wrong)?" He asked, noticing that she was in her small nightgown and carrying a stuffed bear in her left hand. "Momo can't sleep," she replied, and rubbed her eyes. "Can Momo sleep with Momiji?" Momiji uncovered himself and walked over to meet her. "Well...I guess so, just for tonight." He returned to his bed and patted the spot next to him. "Come on." Momo smiled widely and ran to jump into the bed next to Momiji. "Momo is happy!" She cried. Momiji smiled and whispered, "Shh...let's go to sleep now." Momo wiggled under the covers. "Yes. Momo will do what Momiji says. Momo will go to sleep." Momiji laughed, and joined her under the covers.


	7. Chapter 7

When Momiji opened his eyes, he felt groggy and delirious. He let his foot fall off the bed to touch the floor, but found that he couldn't feel the hardwood beneath his toes.

It was then that he felt a tugging at his waist. He looked down and saw Momo hugging him tenderly in her sleep. He silently panicked and, to make sure he wasn't dreaming, reached to carress his ears. Yes, it was as he thought. They were rabbit ears.

Momiji became frantic. Caught in Momo's embrace he could not move very far, but nonethless he paced around the sheets. "What do I do? What if she sees me?" He thought, trying not to imagine the scenario.

"Unnh..." Momiji gasped and looked at Momo to see her eyelids flutter. Momiji stood frozen with fear as she stretched and opened her eyes. "Momiji?" She looked around for him, then saw the rabbit at the edge of the bed. "Bunny!" As Momiji prepared to run for the door (or hop, considering his present state) Momo again latched onto him. "Cute bunny!" She rubbed her cheek against his soft fur. Momiji thought of how a rabbit might react and in desperation wiggled his nose.

Momo brought Momiji to the breakfast table, as Michiko looked on in confusion. "Mom-chan, no animals at the table please," she said while handing Momo a small plate of onigiri. "Bunny is not an animal," Momo replied. Momiji felt the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Bunny is a friend." He breathed a sigh of relief. "So, we're speaking Japanese now, are we? Nonetheless, Bunny does not belong at the table." Momo sighed and placed Momiji on the floor, patting his head apologetically.

Kaoru came out of his room and slowly walked down the hall to the kitchen, finding Momiji's door open but Momiji not inside. He shrugged, but later was surprised to find Momiji in rabbit-form, hopping around the dining room. "Oh! Good morning!" Michiko greeted, placing his bowl of rice on the table. "I had no idea that you had a pet rabbit. What is its name?" Kaoru stood dumbfounded and simply walked over to table.

"Kaoru-san? Did you hear me?" Kaoru placed his hand on his forehead and replied, "Yes, um.. it's Momiji-chan's pet, I don't know if he has named it yet." Momo slipped a piece of seaweed from her onigiri under the table. Momiji hardly noticed, he was already under so much stress that he had no chance of returning to his normal form at the moment. He saw the seaweed out of the corner of his eye, and his ears perked up with interest. "Bunny. Bunny!" Momo whispered, her blond hair brushing against her cheek as she peeked down at him. Momiji slowly padded over to her. He wrapped his teeth gently around the seaweed and slowly chewed it. "Momo-chan, please! Eat off of your own plate, don't feed the rabbit." As Mom's hand slipped away, Momiji continued to ponder how he would get out of this fretful situation.


	8. Chapter 8

Momiji wanted to believe that this was all a bad dream; a nightmare that he would wake up from any second. But as he opened and closed his eyes continuously it was always the same: he sat beneath the table, facing Momo's knees. He listened to the breakfast conversation between his mother and father, talking of what to have for lunch and whether or not to take the train to their jobs today. Momo was once again unusually quiet, and Momiji had a feeling that her clamming up had to do with Michiko forbidding her to play with him. He decided that he needed some fresh air, and hopped over to the screen door. Momo looked yearningly his way. "Mutte, bunny wants to go outside. Can Momo play with bunny?" She asked, standing and shuffling over to the screen. Michiko turned to Kaoru. "Is that alright? After all, the rabbit belongs to Momiji, Momo-chan." Kaoru merely nodded in reply and thought that he would go get some headache medicine after breakfast because of the terrible throbbing of his head.

Momiji and Momo sat on the small patio behind the house. Momo pet Momiji gently, and had gotten him a small plate of chopped carrots to eat. He sat calmly, having let out practically all of his frustration. His ears drooped as he sat on the cold wood, feeling Momo's hand sweetly caressing his fur. Momiji prayed that he would not transform anytime soon. The screen slid open. "Momo-chan, it's time for school," Michiko said, looking down at the two. "Hatori-sama!" Momiji thought. "Hatori-sama will know what to do!" "Ja, Mutte," Momo said, standing up and walking behind her mother. Momiji sprinted off of the patio. Momo turned. "Bunny? Bunny, wait!" She instinctively ran after him. "Momo-chan, where is your backpack?" Michiko returned. "Momo-chan? Momo-chan?"

Momiji careened through the various yards of the Somas, Momo following worriedly. "Bunny, stop! Bunny wait-ugh!" Momiji stopped and turned. Momo had tripped over a small rock and had skinned her knee. Momiji wanted to go on, but he froze in his position. Momo sat up and saw the blood escaping from the wound. Her eyes began to water. "Ow," she whispered, rubbing it with her right hand. Momiji bound over to her and sat next to her. She looked down at him and wiped away her tears. "Bunny, you stopped. You stopped for Momo." Momiji smiled and hopped slowly along, looking back at Momo. She was confused, but he made a motion with his head and she knew that he wanted her to follow him.

Momiji reached the main house and saw Hatori smoking on the back patio. Not wanting Hatori to see Momo, he stopped abruptly and she followed suit. "Where are we?" Momo asked. Momiji turned and nudged at her knees, to make her back away from the house. He locked eyes with her and thought, "Please. Please don't follow me anymore." Momo seemed to understand, as she nodded and sat down.

Momo hopped over to Hatori, who put out his cigarette. "Momiji-chan? What happened?" Momiji stood at Hatori's feet and didn't reply, knowing that Momo was only a few feet away. Hatori sighed. "Alright, let's get you inside, since you seem to already be tardy for school." Hatori bent down and picked Momiji up. Momiji breathed a sigh of relief. "It's alright...Hatori-sama's going to help me and everything is going to be fine." "Wait!" As Hatori turned around, Momiji recognized the voice and refused to look. Momo had come out of her hiding place and was standing near Hatori. "Can I help you, young lady?" Hatori asked politely. "The bunny-bunny is not mine, Momo needs to take the bunny back to Momiji!" Hatori spun to open the screen. "I'm sorry, but this rabbit is mine and he need not be disturbed." "But-" Momo began to cry again. "No! Bunny is Momiji's! Momo needs to give bunny back!" She held the bunched up hem of her skirt in her hands and began sobbing. "Because Momo wants Momiji to smile! So please give bunny back!"

As Momiji sat in Hatori's arms, he felt a small sensation within his chest. "No," he thought, "Not now. Not here." He knew that it was coming, but he hadn't planned for Momo to be there. As Hatori stood arguing with Momo, Momiji leapt out of Hatori's arms and ran toward the forest. Just as he passed Momo, there was a loud boom and a small yellow cloud. Momiji had transformed, and sat on the ground, crouching as a ball, his head resting on his knees.


	9. Chapter 9

Hatori had taken both Momiji and Momo inside, wrapping Momiji in a bath towel and sitting Momo in a separate room with a children's book. Hatori had laid out some of his clothes to change Momiji into, and had begun buttoning one of his large dress shirts.

"Momiji-chan, who is this girl?" Hatori asked, rolling up the cuffs on the overly large shirt. Momiji looked at the ground. "She's...my sister." Hatori looked up, surprised. "Momiji-chan, that's ridiculous. You haven't seen your mother in years." "No, I have. I've been watching her...from a distance. I have a little sister, Momo-chan, and she..." Momiji realized that he shouldn't tell Hatori that Momo and his mother were living with him, or Akito would be furious.

"Please, please, don't erase her memory." Hatori took his hands away from the buttons of Momiji's shirt. "Momiji-chan, I have to. It's the only way to keep the Sohma curse a secret; she can't remember what she has seen." Momiji locked eyes with Hatori. "It was my fault; she followed me! Blame me, not her! Don't make her forget!" Tears began to whisper down Momiji's cheeks and his eyes narrowed with anger. "I don't want her to forget me. I want her to remember...I want her to remember who I am." Hatori stood up. "Momiji-chan..." Momiji also stood abruptly, and looked Hatori straight on. "Please! I won't tell anyone that she's seen me! We'll leave, and pretend that nothing happened!"

He felt his tears stain the shirt, and he reached up to wipe his eyes. "This is the only way." Hatori walked toward the door, but Momiji made a point to run over and block it. "I'm not letting you leave," he whispered. "I'm not letting you leave!" Hatori's eyes sharpened. "Momiji-chan, you leave me no choice." Hatori pushed him to the floor. Momiji shivered, and grabbed onto Hatori's pant leg. "Please," he said, "Please…she's my sister. I love her." "You know as well as I that love has nothing to do with it."


End file.
